Buy Trees Online Guide - A guide to help you buy the right Trees Online

To help you identify the correct trees to buy from our extensive collection of ornamental trees available at http://www.trees-online.co.uk/ we have produced this guide to help you.

In producing this tree guide, we have produced a number of sections to provide you with a range of trees suitable for different situations, one of which will probably match your garden and are available, subject to availability, on the www.trees-online.co.uk website. It is far from exhaustive list and it must be remembered that many trees will grow happily in a wide range of situations.

Ornamental trees are grown for the beauty of their foliage, bark, spring flowers, berries, or autumn colour. Their ability to give their best in your garden will be affected by their suitability or otherwise of the situation in which they are planted and the characteristics of your soil.

Clay soil is sticky and unworkable when it is wet and as hard as concrete when dry. However, clay soil is often fertile and if properly worked can provide an excellent home. Care should be given to providing good drainage.

Many treess are well adapted to dry, acid soil which is usually easy to work and has the advantage of being quick to warm up early in the year. The fertility of acid soils can be improved with the addition of organic matter, so if you are starting a new garden in these conditions, select trees from the list below at the outset then include other trees after a few seasons of soil improvement. Remember to water trees in well and mulch heavily.

Chalk soils have a very high lime content so can be harmful to many trees. That being said, calcium and magnesium limestone in the wild supports a very diverse range of trees, so the gardener need not be entirely defeated by thes conditions. Chalk is more difficult when there is only a shallow layer of soil above the rock since this leads to soild drying out quickly. Attempts to fight nature by planting your favourites will almost certainly fail. The best advice is to go with the flow by choosing from the list of trees below, which are known to be happy in these situations.

Trees in general require good drainage and locations where soil is not waterlogged. However there are some which are perfectly adapted to thriving in permanent dampness or even wetness. Trees such as the Swamp Cypress (Taxodium Dissticum) can survive wet for many months. However, trees without special adaptations to such environmental conditions might die within a few weeks if they are flooded during the growing season.

Many of us have become familiar with the idea of a wind chill factor. This affects trees as much as it does us so finding trees that can withstand icy blasts is important, not least because the soil in such spots is often very cold or even frozen, leaving the tree to struggle for moisture from the ground as it loses extra moisture through its leaves. Thankfully a good selection of evergreens and many deciduous trees come to our rescue.

As well as coping with more wind and higher average temperatures than those inland, seaside gardens need to cope with the high salt content of the air and soil. Trees with tough, waxy leaves and grey foliage often withstand seaside conditions well.

There are a very few trees which will tolerate deep shade since their instincts are to grow up to the light. However, since most gardens have shady spots the trees which will thrive there are especially valuable.

When planning a garden we often seek as much variety as possible. So, whislt many trees are characterised by a form which has branches reaching upwards, it is pleasing to find others which depart from this to provide the contrast we need.

After the form of the tree, it is perhaps through foliage that we can best create the design feel we seek in our gardens. Large or interestingly shaped leaves create new points of interest and emphasis in the following:

The rich colours of these trees can make a striking contribution to any garden. However, in small gardens the tempatation should be resisted to plant more than one. These coloured leaves are often seen at their best with the sun behind them so its is worth trying to find a site for them where they will be between you and the sun as you walk along a path, relax, or potter.

One or two well-placed, well-chosen trees from this group, especially in a dull corner can transform a garden by suffusing it with a different kind of light. However, as with purple foliage, resist the temptation to overdo it.

Grey, silver and blue foliage makes for a subtle range of tones and contrasts. Many trees with silver or grey foliage are able to withstand dry conditions, as the hairs or waxy coatings which give them their colour are usually there to help minimise water loss.

As with strong foliage colours, trees with variegated foliage work best in the garden when there are few of them. They are at their most effective when grown apart from others so that their canopies are low and not too far from eye level.

Fruit of this kind is often not only very pleasing to look at but forms the attraction for a wide variety of wild life. Yellow or amber berries often last longer than red ones, as they are not as attractive to birds. White forms, such as those of Sorbus hupehensis, are often the longest lasting of all.

The best gardens feed all of the senses and choosing trees with scented flowers can make a huge contribution to this process.

It is worth noting that a high percentage of those in flower in winter are scented, so if you plan to have flowers in winter, you will enjoy scent as well. Plant them near paths or sitting area or the boundaries of the garden from which the prevailing wind comes.